Numerical Analysis for Three Types of Wings at Various Angles of Attack: A Comparative Study

The proper design procedure is a critical factor that restricts the capacity of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to fly freely for long periods. A UAV could fly with a high lift force and less drag if the aerodynamic performance of the wings is taken into account. With the aim to identify the best configuration that provides a high aerodynamic ratio (L/D) at low flying speeds, the current study investigates single-taper wings with three different configurations (conventional, dihedral, and polyhedral). This is achieved by applying the fundamentals of sailplanes to the single-taper wing planform in this study. Various attacking angles from 0° to 15° were tested in the research using a high-lift low-speed airfoil, the AG-16, and a constant low Reynolds number of 3 × 10⁵. SOLIDWORKS software was used to model the wings under investigation, while ANSYS Fluent software was used to run the simulation. All of the examples under study used the same mesh type, number of elements, and operating condition of airflow velocity as parameters. A correct mesh resolution was achieved by suitably adjusting the accuracy of the findings. The results were then contrasted and verified. According to the early findings, a polyhedral wing design may significantly enhance aerodynamic performance. Due to the reduction in wingtip vortices (vortex drag), which decreased the induced drag and improved aerodynamic efficiency, the results were particularly noticeable at high angles of attack.